with Angela Benson
 

Angela Benson has an unusual background for a writer: She majored in mathematics at Spelman College and Industrial Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), and worked for fifteen years as an engineer in the telecommunications industry. She received two Masters degrees, not in the liberal arts, but in operations research and human resources development. She recently completed a doctorate in instructional technology at the University of Georgia and now works as an assistant professor at a major research institution.

Since her first book was published in 1994, Angela has published nine novels, one novella, and a nonfiction writing book. Her books have appeared on regional and local bestseller lists, and she has won several writing awards, including Best Multicultural Romance from Romantic Times magazine, and Best Contemporary Ethnic Romance from Affaire de Coeur magazine. She was a finalist for the 2000 Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Award in Multicultural Romance.

Awakening Mercy, the first book in her Genesis House series from Tyndale House Publishers, followed by Abiding Hope in September 2001. Abiding Hope was awarded the 2002 Emma Award presented by the Romance Slam Jam. The third book, Enduring Love, is not yet scheduled. BET Books purchased the mass market rights to Awakening Mercy and Abiding Hope in 2000 and released mass market editions of the titles in June 2002 and June 2003, respectively.  Angela Benson’s first hardcover title, The Amen Sisters, was released in September 2005 by Walk Worthy Press.


Urban-Reviews.com: Can you tell us a little bit about what The Amen Sisters is all about?
Angela Benson: At its most basic, The Amen Sisters is a story of recovery from an abusive church situation. The main character, Francine Amen, left her home and her family to follow a ministry that she believed was doing the work of God, only to find that the pastor and the church had secrets that would lead to the death of one of her closest friends. In her recovery, she has to return home and mend fences with her sister, Dawn (who’s now married to Francine’s ex-fiancé), the church family she left behind, and the family of her dead friend. Francine finds the world she left behind in a bit of turmoil and she can’t help but blame herself for some of the problems. As she tries to make things right in the present, she finds that she must first make peace with what happened in the past.

UR: What motivated you to write The Amen Sisters?
AB: I had a very negative church experience some years back and I've always wanted to write about how a person recovers from such an experience. I didn't experience exactly what the characters in The Amen Sisters experienced but I did feel their same sense of hurt and betrayal. You know, we see the ministers on television who give their repentance sermons and we get to hear the stories of how God helped them pull their lives back together, but we never hear about the broken parishioners who get caught in the middle of the chaos. I wanted to write about those broken people to show that they do exist and to show how God heals their hurt and restores their faith. People laugh at the things that go on in some churches. I want The Amen Sisters to be a reminder of all the people who are hurt by the nonsense.

UR: In The Amen Sisters, Francine saw her former pastor as almost perfect. What do you think causes this blind faith in pastors?
AB: I’m not sure it’s blind faith as much as it is a need to feel that others are closer to God that we are. Unfortunately, there are pastors who encourage this belief. They encourage their parishioners to look up to them as someone with a more direct pipeline to the Lord, rather than making people aware that they can cultivate their own pipeline that’s just as effective.

UR: You have written several romance novels over the years as well. What made you want to branch off into Christian fiction?
AB: I wanted to write stories in which my characters had a faith life because I think that’s the reality of the lives we live each day. Faith, church and religion have long played a pivotal role in the African-American community. Writing stories void of those elements is writing stories that are not truly reflective of our lives.

UR: What books or authors have most influenced your life and why?
AB: I read so much and so widely that’s it difficult to answer that question. Sharon Ewell Foster’s Passing by Samaria touched me deeply. The story, which had racism as one of its themes, showed me how powerful Christian fiction can be in helping us see ourselves and our hypocrisies.

UR: What do you say to readers who are reluctant to pick up a Christian-based novel for fear of it being “too preachy?”
AB: Pick up a copy of The Amen Sisters and give Christian fiction a try. In The Amen Sisters you’ll find real people facing real problems. The difference with Christian fiction is that the characters look beyond themselves for answers to their problems. Rather than characterizing Christian fiction stories as preachy, I’d characterize them as realistic stories that show the consequences of our actions played out on a canvas painted in God’s love.

UR: Do you feel more people are reading Christian fiction now than in the past? Why or why not?
AB: With the things going on in the world today—Iraq, Katrina and other natural disasters, poverty, all these social ills—people are looking for hope. Christian fiction provides this hope by painting a picture of a God who is fully involved in our lives, even when we can’t feel Him or see Him because of the turmoil around us. I think, too, that African-American readers find themselves on the pages of Christian fiction stories more frequently these days. I think readers appreciate seeing realistic portrayals of what African-American people of faith encounter each day.

UR: How did your family and/or friends feel about you becoming a writer?
AB: My mom’s waiting for call from Oprah and my eight-year-old niece told her teacher that I was famous, so I guess they’re happy for me. When I first started writing my mom was concerned that I’d give up a lucrative engineering career for much less economically-stable writing career. I’m still working my day job (as a university professor, not an engineer) so my mom’s okay.

UR: Have any of the up-and-coming authors grabbed your attention?
AB: Sure they have, but I hate to list them because I’m sure I’ll forget somebody. Judy Candis, Tiffany Warren, Cheri Paris Edwards, Xenia Ruiz, Kendra Norman-Bellamy, Tia McCollors, Mary Griffith, Claudia Burney, all come to mind as authors to watch.

UR: Any current or future projects coming up that you would like to mention?
AB: My next book will be out in Spring 2007. It's another story of recovery and forgiveness. This time the main character is a man who finds God after spending a short stint in prison. Let's just say the road he'll travel won't be an easy one.

UR: Is there anything additional you would like to share with us?
AB: I’d love to hear from readers of The Amen Sisters. They can visit with me at my website, http://www.angelabenson.com.

 

       

Don't forget to check out the review of The Amen Sisters in the AA Fiction section.